Publix, a chain of grocery stores that dot the southeast United States, is known for addicting deli sandwiches and touching Father’s Day and Mother’s Day advertisements. The message tends to be Pro-Life – an intention the chain’s spokespeople deny, but which is undeniable (or, maybe, unavoidable) nonetheless. This year, the company’s commercial released ahead of Father’s Day was no exception. The ad was not overtly branded as a Father’s Day commercial, but the timing and the subject matter hint at a dad’s day theme. When asked on Facebook whether the ad was in honor of Father’s Day, Publix responded that the release was a “happy coincidence.”
“For years, it was always just another day for your mother and me,” the dad begins. He recalls how dramatically life changed when his daughter was born: “Then, you arrived. And that day changed forever. A simple day became something more – something amazing.” The birth of a child shatters routines and regularities, reshaping parents into different people – better people: “It became a day that shapes the way we live our lives for the other three hundred and sixty-four. It made us kinder, more compassionate, more patient.”
The father concludes with a sentiment shared by moms and dads universally: that in giving the gift of Life to a child, the gift is returned to parents in hundred-fold fashion: “So, as this day comes around once again,” he says, “we remind ourselves that, while we may have given you Life, you have given us so much more.” Every child is a gift, and every child deserves to leave a unique mark on the world—a mark that is first made on his or her parents.
